1	Megan’s Kids Pages
2	Hints and Tips For a lot of people with ED, keeping cool can be really tricky, I know it is for me! These ideas are very good for hot summers days! Always carry a drink bottle When you know it is going to be a hot day, freeze a bottle of water or juice the night before. Then wrap it in a tea towel and you have a yummy frozen treat. Buy or make some little face washers for your school bag. Keep them in a plastic bag, so after you have used them they don’t wet anything. When you are hot soak them for a little while, then cool down your face. Wet your ankles, wrist and back of neck when in need of a quick cool down. Buy a neck tie (available at most good sports stores) and follow the instructions. Keep an ice-cream container in your locker to soak it in. You can usually get a tie to match your school uniform. Have a sponge bath. Fill the bath with ankle deep water then slowly wet yourself with a face washer. There is no point getting straight in, as it will mess up your body temperature. Cooling down slowly is the way to go.
3	Fun Games and Quiz’s The Undercover Cody website is full of fun games colouring-ins, ideas, competitions and loads more! http://www.undercovercody.co.nz/links_uc/cody_1_6.php The NASA website for kids has interesting facts, games and information on the sun, the earth and the stars http://nasascience.nasa.gov/kids How much do you know about being sun smart? Test your knowledge with this fun word search! http://www.surfnetkids.com/games/sunscreen-ws.htm
4	Things to tell your friends and teachers It can be really hard telling the people that you work with every day about ED and what you have to do. What do you need to tell them and what don’t you need to tell them? What they need to know: At the start of the year, you should tell your teacher about ED, what your problems are and how she or he can help if you are in trouble. This is a safety precaution. This way, if something happens, like you are very overheated and you have trouble telling people, your teacher will know what to do. Your classmates do not need to know everything about you, especially if you are worried about being teased or bullied. Only a few close friends should know about the bigger parts of your ED symptoms so, like your teacher, they know how to help you in an emergency. The person in sickbay should know what medicine you need to take, what you do when it is too hot, etc. This way she will be able to recognise your symptoms and call a parent or use her first aid knowledge to help you out.
5	Tackling Peer Pressure Remember that having ED may not be fun sometimes, but is part of who you are. Sometimes people will be mean. I know because it’s happened to me, and I’ve seen it happen to other people. Maybe they’ll pick on your hair, or your neck tie. Generally, kids will pick on things they don’t understand or they think are “different”. So it’s good to remember, that without physical differences, life would be boring! Can you imagine a world where everyone looked the same? Exactly. Really, when everyone is different, nothing should be strange. Also to keep in mind is Eleanor Roosevelt’s famous saying, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” This is pretty much saying, if you don’t want to feel bad when someone’s been mean, don’t! How you feel depends on how you react in tough circumstances. Don’t listen to bullies, and you won’t feel as bad. Always remember that you choose the way you feel. Make it good!
6	Remember: The Outside 5 Use shade Wear sun protective clothing Wear a sun protective hat Wear wrap-around sunglasses Apply SPF 30+ broad spectrum sunscreen.
7	Making ED Friends For the ‘pen pals’ program’ if that is still going ahead. So children with ED can talk to others about the condition, and feel like they are part of a community; like they are not the only person suffering.
8	Contacting me If you have any questions about anything on this site, or just want to talk about ED with someone, you can contact me at kids@ozed.org.au . I would love to hear your comments!